Sunday, October 30, 2011

I've mentioned before that I am a Formula 1 addict. If you don't know what Formula 1 is, well, maybe you live in Swaziland, or are an American, well it is the ultimate in car racing. Not the ultimate in open-wheel, or 'The World Series' - but in the world.

Ever.

I watch races whenever I can, download those that I can't watch live, and listen to podcasts to explain to me what I miss.

Out of all the Formula 1 blogs out there, I only listen to these 2 - and why? Because they are run and presented by 'normal folk'. We can't really call anyone willing to wake at 2am to watch a car race 'normal'. Let's just call them, well, 'dedicated'.

Both of the podcasts sound like friends, sitting in a pub or living room, discussing the race.A discussion that is slightly too informed for me to join in with, but very interesting indeed.

In 2013 the USA will be hosting a race in Texas. The work started on the track a while back, but Formula 1 is about money, not being polite, or equal, but cold hard cash. They were waiting for the dosh to be on the table to tell the world that F1 would grace The Lone-star State with their presence.

Recently, Todd, the main culprit (!) from Formula1blog.com has started writing for the Huffington Post in the UK and his writing is very interesting indeed. I highly suggest you pop over there and give it a look, I know I'll be following it very closely.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Without doubt Mr. Johnny Cash was one of his generation's greatest country singers. Classics such as Fulsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and Walk The Line as well as A Boy Named Sue - make us all tap our feet.

Johnny Cash (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

His video (below) of Hurt, has over 35 million hits on YouTube. Astonishing!

And when you realise that his career took off with 'Ring of Fire' back in the old days of black and white TV!

I was listening to Mr J Cash on Grooveshark at work and after 2 hours of music I knew, I heard words that I recognised, but not in the way Johnny was singing them.

Amnesty urges Canada to arrest and prosecute George W. Bush

12 October 2011
Amnesty International today urged Canadian authorities to arrest and
either prosecute or extradite former US President George W. Bush for his
role in torture, ahead of his expected visit to Canada on 20 October.

“Canada is required by its international obligations to arrest and
prosecute former President Bush given his responsibility for crimes
under international law including torture,” said Susan Lee, Americas
Director at Amnesty International. Image via Wikipedia

“As the US authorities have, so far, failed to bring former President
Bush to justice, the international community must step in. A failure by Canada to take action during his visit would violate the UN Convention against Torture and demonstrate contempt for fundamental human rights.”

A failure by Canada to arrest former President Bush demonstrates contempt for human rights?

Image via Wikipedia
I have never seen Amnesty urge any Western nation to arrest Mahmoud
Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority has been found to - surprise! - torture prisoners. Similarly, I cannot find any Amnesty calls to arrest leaders of Hamas or other terror groups. (Egypt, for example, is a signatory to
the Convention Against Torture and Amnesty did not urge Egypt to arrest
any Palestinian Arab terrorist or political leader responsible for
torture when they are in its territory.)

Amnesty, it will be remembered, has defended a supporter of the Taliban as a "human rights defender" and suspended an employee who disagreed.

If anyone needed any more evidence of the twisted priorities of Amnesty International, this pretty much seals the deal.

After 10 years in Afghanistan, foreign troops can claim successes in the notorious province of Helmand - but a vicious guerrilla war still rages in the Upper Gereshk valley, which US marines are in the process of handing back to British forces.

It has only just turned 07:00 and it's already pushing 35C (95F). The three litres of warm water you drank at dawn have already soaked into your flak vest.

The patrol advances slowly, inching through poppy fields like their lives depended on it. Suddenly a massive explosion rips through the air less than 50m behind. The Taliban have booby-trapped the right-hand gate of the compound with a grenade and an IED (improvised explosive device) during the night. By chance we exited by the left gate.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

According to the British tabloid newspaper, The Mirror, the star of the Blackadder series, Rowan Atkinson, has hinted that season 5 might be in the offing.

Image via Wikipedia
The amazingness that was Blackadder combined humour with history and real emotion. The final minutes of the final episode of season four still brings tears to the eyes of grown men (allegedly...)

Recognisable faces in the cast picture include Stephen Fry of QI and everything clever, Tony Robinson from Time Team and of course that nice young chap Hugh Laurie from that medical show you might have heard of, now what's it called? Home? Building? No, I remember - House...